STAR
by Michele-bell
Summary: Despite as popular as he is and loved by the ladies, Axel hasn't had much luck with men. Maybe he's just been looking in the wrong places and needs a break from the Hollywood scene. AU. Reno/Axel.
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note: **After some inner debating, I have to decided to bring you this as a poor attempt to make up for not posting things lately (if not for you readers and reviewers I would not have stuck around for so long, so thank you guys so much! Special thanks to Kive for sticking with me from the beginning!). I see according to my poll, there are some fans of Reno/Axel out there ;) I gotta admit, this is my favorite pairing lately. AkuRoku's still good, but I've finally resurfaced from drowning myself in it. I'm just an huge Axel (being pursued by hot people) fan at heart I guuuuuessssss...omnomnom. I started this over the summer and for some reason didn't continue, but I hope to soon x) It's a pretty casual story that will hopefully convert you to the joys of Rexel if you have not already.

Here is another to Nijuuni lmfao, who serves as constant inspiration to me and who has total bragging rights for converting me to all this. I might as well just dedicate every time I type the word "redhead" to you, BITCH.

**Disclaimer:** Really? No.

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It really was sickening. How these girls would scream for him till their lungs gave out, how they'd chuck their bras at him and other garments that Axel was afraid to touch. It made him wonder how sad their lives must be if they had to throw themselves at a man who, well – made out with other men.

Hollywood loved him for his movies where he kissed men. Homosexuality was becoming a trend after all – gay was the new straight. Women would buy his movie for the sex appeal; religious groups would buy it in order to burn it. Axel was their little money-making sex god. He was a sensation.

But they'd never know what he truly thought of them. They thought that he loved them. True, Axel enjoyed both genders; he made a career out of it. It was just that he was unable to go anywhere without being recognized by some female fan who would act like he could do her right there on the street and it'd be the best moment in her life.

Axel was getting a little turned off by the fairer sex.

"Oh my god, _oh my god_, there he is, _look_!"

Cameras flashed and high-pitched voices drowned out just about all of Axel's senses as he stepped out from behind a door, waving his hand and grinning like he meant it. He swore one of these days, he would go blind and deaf. He only wondered which one would come first.

"_Axeeeeeeeelllllll! I love youuuuu_!" someone towards the front screamed at the top of their lungs, waving a sign about how their children would be the most beautiful in the world or something. On instinct, the redhead winked at her. She practically swooned. Axel practically vomited. Having someone love you was kind of meaningless when everyone claimed to.

Axel took a seat at the long table, his fellow actors in his newest action movie giving him polite smiles. He knew they were either jealous of his popularity or just plain overwhelmed by the crowd he attracted. Introductions were made, getting the loudest reaction once Axel's name was said. As always, he smiled and did something quirky, leaning back in his chair to give off that bad-boy attitude the tabloids loved. He really did feel bad for the bodyguards getting beaten and bruised as they tried to hold the crowd back until it was time for autographs.

And when that time came, almost all of them flocked to him. Mostly woman, of course.

They all gawked at him like he was some kind of god, asking for his signature, asking to pose with him, asking to touch him. Axel, of course, always obliged. After a few years of this, his facial muscles finally got used to so much smiling.

"Oh my god, it's actually really _you_!" one of the girls gasped, looking like tears might spring from her eyes at any moment.

"Yup, it's really me in the flesh, sweetheart," Axel reassured her, taking one of the photographs of himself off of the table and scribbling his autograph for her. She giggled childishly, bouncing up and down and clutching the photo to her chest. Her grin was so huge he was afraid it might split her face.

"Can you please say your line, from 'Chain of Memories', please?" she begged. Everyone around her cheered, seconding the idea enthusiastically. Typical.

The redhead smirked and slowly held up his index finger to his temple. The crowd seemed to hold their breath in anticipation. Then Axel grinned wider, voice coming out in a smooth, breathy drawl…

"Got it _memoriiiiized_?"

There was a chorus of orgasmic sounds from the ladies.

The girl moved on, the next one approaching and holding out something that she actually brought Axel to sign. He blinked down at it, instantly recognizing the DVD cover of the first big movie he did.

"So tell me, please tell me, I've always been wondering," she began, glancing at the almost identical girls around her, Axel assuming that they were friends. "Is Roxas a good kisser?"

Axel's smile twitched, threatened to disappear but he licked his lips and kept it on. Roxas was the first boy he had kissed on screen, his first love interest opposite of him in a lead role. Theirs was the first hit movie featuring a homosexual relationship since 'Brokeback Mountain'. It was what had led Axel to fame several years ago, and Roxas too. The redhead hadn't seen the young actor in over a year, only knew that he was doing Twilight-esque chick-flicks where he got to win the girl. He was just as much of a heartthrob as Axel now.

"Well, what do you think?" Axel asked her in a suggestive tone, leaning forward and resting his face on his hand. "Did I look like I was enjoying it?"

All the women's face lit up around him as they heard this very evocative response. They murmured amongst themselves and the girl was gently led away by a security guard, allowing the next fan a chance.

"So how many takes did you have to do for the make out scene with Roxas?" the next woman asked, positively beaming. Axel tried very, very hard to resist making an annoyed sound at her. He was here to talk about his movie and himself, not about _Roxas_. The movie they had made together had been years ago after all.

"Uh, I forget," Axel said, grin tight. "But it was a lot."

Once again they turned to each other, chatting excitedly about how hot of an on-screen couple the two were. Axel certainly wasn't going to tell them that when kissing someone for a movie, it was mostly mechanical. One was _directed_ on how the kiss was supposed to go. And it was hard for it to be romantic with a whole set of people watching you. Kissing required just as much acting as the rest of the film.

"Is it true that you two had a fling?"

Axel crumpled the photo he was signing for her just a little. But when he lifted his head, he kept his expression totally calm. Just like the good actor he was.

"Roxas and I are good friends," he explained to her. "And we still are friends. Still talk and keep in touch and all that. But that's all it ever has been, just friendship. Sorry, hunny."

The crowd looked disappointed. Oh sure, they'd love it if he told them the real version of the story. Everything he was saying now was the _politically correct_ versions. On occasion he could lie and tell them what they wanted to hear, like with the kiss comments. But most of the time Axel had to tell them what they needed to hear, in order to protect himself. So he couldn't tell them that Axel had developed a huge crush on Roxas during the filming of the movie and tried to actually date him. He'd found out that Roxas wasn't actually into men, he was only doing the movie for money. It had been embarrassing to say the least, so they had ended up as just friends instead.

"I heard that you and Roxas are going to reunite and star in another movie together someday soon!" the next admirer exclaimed hopefully. The crowd burst into excited jabber.

Axel smiled politely. Ah, rumors. "That's news to me," he said. "But I'd like that. Maybe someday."

This seemed to make everyone happy to hear at the idea of one of the most famous gay couples out there getting together again. It became the favorite subject of many of the women. So by the end of the day, Axel was sick of his own face from signing so many photographs and _sick_ of hearing about Roxas.

When closing statements were finally made and the actors were free to leave, Axel couldn't feel more relieved. He waved until his arm felt like it was about to fall off, then happily disappeared back into the private room they had for the actors.

"_Finally_!" he sighed as he let himself simply fall onto the couch before anyone else could get to it, rubbing his tired eyes and aching face.

"Don't get too comfortable there, man," came a somewhat raspy voice that Axel knew all too well. "Don't forget we've got a flight to L.A. in two hours."

Lazily, Axel lifted his arm from where it had been covering his eyes and let it rest on his forehead. He looked at his agent, Xigbar, like a defiant teenager looks at their parents.

"Joooooy," he groaned, dragging the word out in a tone that didn't reflect an ounce of glee in it.

"I knew you'd be ecstatic," Xigbar snickered, cocking his head so he could look at the redhead better instead of sideways. "Got another promotion and signing lined up for tomorrow."

Axel made a stressed sound and squeezed his eyes shut. Why? Why did he do this to himself? He was not looking forward to more pointless screaming, more ditzy fans, more questions, requests, more fucking _acting_.

"I think I want to retire," Axel grumbled. Everyone around him who heard this statement laughed.

"You can't possibly mean that, Axel," one of his costars, Larxene, remarked in a snarky voice. "You love the fame." The redhead heard her approaching, heels clicking almost ominously on the wood floor.

Suddenly her hands were on either side of his face on the arm of the couch. He glanced at her long red nails, unimpressed as she gazed down at him with a sneer. "Besides, if not, who would pamper you and clothe you and tell you how much of a good little boy you are? You would wither away without it."

Axel swiped at her face and missed by a few inches. She merely walked over to refreshment table, cackling.

"Stop being such a bitch, Larxene," Demyx said from the corner of the room, uncharacteristically brave of him. She turned on her heel and started towards him, causing the young star to almost immediately cower and start stuttering apologies.

"I don't think that's humanly possible for her," Axel said quickly before she could strike, sitting up from the couch and fixing her with a smirk. "_Besides_," he mimicked. "This is just her way of letting off steam and sexual frustration. We all know how badly she wants my cock."

Once again there was an almost unanimous reaction from nearly everyone in the room, rolling their eyes since they knew the two were about to begin firing off insults at each other. It had been like this during filming too. Tabloids ate it up. Larxene's attitude had long ago earned her the reputation of Hollywood's Harpy. Hardly anyone had the guts to stand up to her – except for Axel.

"Oh, sure, Axel," Larxene snorted, distracted from Demyx for the time being but not thrown off in the least. "You're under the impression that every woman in the world would bend over backwards for you–"

"And it's just too bad you're not that flexible," the redhead interrupted smoothly, examining his nails with disinterest. The men in the room let out hoots of laughter – until Larxene sent them a death glare.

There was a pause and Axel thought he might have won already, until the sounds of Larxene's heels met his ears again and she stopped short in front of him. "You know, maybe you are right about me," the woman mused, putting a finger to her lips and feigning contemplation. "Maybe I all Ineed is for someone to fuck my brains out. Can you give me the name of the guy who did it to you?" A chorus of jeers erupted in the room, impressed with her come-back. Just as the redhead was about to respond, however, Larxene continued. "Oh wait… you've never had a guy work out for you, have you? Oops…"

Axel stood up and gave her a hard look, his reaction only making her grin wider. That had crossed the line, because another well-known fact about Axel was that he had terrible bad luck with men off-screen. He refused to talk about relationships to the press. Roxas wasn't the only one who hadn't worked out.

"Okaaaaay, simmer down now, children." Xigbar stepped in between them before things could get ugly. "Axel, I'm sure you wanna rest a little before the long flight so we should head back to the hotel now, huh?"

As he was led away, Axel continued to glare at the blonde. Demyx shouted, "Aw, don't listen to her, she's just jealous that you've made out with more hot dudes than she ever will!"

Poor, foolish Demyx had once again made himself target to Larxene's wrath. From behind him, Axel heard the man yelp in panic, footsteps scurrying across the room. Just as Xigbar opened the door to the back lot, the redhead turned his head back and smirked, calling out, "I think her main problem is that she's living under the mistaken impression that she actually _is_ somebody in this business."

Axel, unfortunately, did not get the pleasure of seeing the look on Larxene's face at the comment. Because once the door was fully opened, they were met with a deafening roar.

"There! I knew he'd be leaving this way!"

"_AXEEEEEEEELLLLL!!!!_"

The redhead whipped around to find a sea of girls headed their way. He slumped against the doorframe, almost immediately defeated by all the madness.

"What. The fuck," he breathed, watching the crowd draw ever closer, unable to believe it. He could _never_ just simply be left alone, could he?

"What are you doing, man?" Xigbar demanded, his laid-back demeanor not present for once. He grabbed the front of Axel's shirt and forced him up straight again. "We gotta get out of here!"

His agent looked sharply from left to right, vision impaired and limited to only one eye. One way was back through the building, where undoubtedly more fans would spot Axel leaving and follow him. The other was to simply run for it, but the limo was parked a good distance away for the purpose of being somewhat hidden. Since the car hadn't started and headed towards them yet, it was safe to bet the driver had fallen asleep. They would have to make a break for it.

The two men gave each other nervous glances before bursting into a sprint for the limo, stampeding women following closely behind them. It would be a close call, but Axel kept his eyes set and determined for his destination. From past experience, the redhead knew they would make it.

–That was until an even larger group came running around the corner, shrieking loud enough to break the sound barrier. Axel and Xigbar skidded to a halt, glancing around frantically. They were trapped.

"Holy shit, your fans breed like rabbits!" the older man shouted above the noise. Axel grabbed him by the arm and dashed for the limo again, but it was pointless. Within seconds they were consumed by the masses.

--

By the time the chauffer woke up from the noise and drove over to the scene, it was almost too late. Axel threw himself into the long car, clothes ripped, Caponi shoes scuffed, and fairly certain that a good chunk of his hair had been torn out.

"Cid, why the hell weren't you ready?!" Axel asked breathlessly, collapsing into his plush red velvet seats and clutching his chest as if he just has a near-death experience. "I oughta have you fired!"

"Don't get your goddamn panties in a twist," the man said, turning around from the driver's seat to look at the young celebrity. His words were somewhat slurred from the cigar that always seemed to be attached to his mouth. "_You_ were the one who didn't call me to wake me up and – _whoa_ they really did a number on you this time."

"Heh, he was _this_ close to getting raped," Xigbar laughed, holding up two fingers to demonstrate.

"It's not funny," Axel commented dryly, wincing as bodies continued to throw themselves at the car. "My ass was groped so many times that it feels numb. Just – _drive_."

Cid raised his eyebrows. "S'gonna be slow-going to try to get through these fucking nutso's."

"You can do it," the redhead assured him, resting his head back and pinching the bridge of his nose in annoyance. "I believe in you."

The man snorted but turned back to the wheel and began slowly cruising forward, parting the crowd. It only took a few seconds for him to begin cursing colorfully, so Axel hit the button to make the soundproof window between them rise up and shut him out.

"Why is it that the people who work for me are so incompetent?" Axel asked to no one in particular.

"Hey man, not cool," his agent said defensively. "You wouldn't be half the star you are if not for me. I think you just need a good vacation some time soon."

"A vacation." Axel blinked. He was so active on the Hollywood scene that it had been quite some time since he'd been able to relax somewhere pleasant for more than a day. It was difficult to go anywhere without being recognized or bothered by Xigbar thanks to constant phone calls. "Yeah," he sighed dreamily. "I need one of those. Soon."

The limo continued to make its way slowly out of the lot, minutes upon minutes passing by because the fans would not let up. Security guards had made their way out now but had barely made a dent in the crowd. News stations were sure to arrive at any moment to film the lunacy; paparazzi were already on the scene.

To comfort himself, Axel closed his eyes and began fantasizing about going to a resort, far away from the public; perhaps the only people there being shirtless men waiting on his every need. No one telling him what to do, where to go, what to wear, or how they dreamed of being kissed by him. His movies portrayed him as the one to lust after others, to take them on adventures, befriend people, and move in for the first kiss in the heat of the moment. He was tired of it. He was never offered a role where _he_ was the one someone made a move on, where _he_ was the one to be dominated. In all honestly, Axel _dreamed_ of be lusted after, by someone real, wanted a real romance, to _be_ kissed instead of being the kisser.

But lately, that seemed to be a luxury he was never going to experience.

After over thirty minutes, the situation was finally under control. Once a path was cleared, Cid floored it and the limo bounced out onto the street, skidding and weaving around the other vehicles. But fifteen minutes later found them screeching to a halt, Axel actually being able to _hear_ the slew of muffled curse words his driver screamed through the glass.

"What's going on?" he asked as he rolled down the window between them, trying to see past the cars around him and the blond man's head.

"Fucking boat," Cid said gruffly. "The bridge is going up for some huge ass boat."

Axel sat back in his seat, expression reflecting disbelief but absolutely no disappointment. One could say he seemed simply amazed.

Xigbar and Cid, however, were not so impressed. The two spat out a duet of swear words and so once again Axel hit the switch to the window up front, at least cutting one of them off.

"This is just awesome, we're gonna miss our flight," Xigbar said sarcastically from the seat opposite of Axel, throwing his hands up in the air. "What the hell did we do to deserve this?"

The redhead perked up from his seat once more. Maybe…he _did_ deserve this…

"I'll have to make some calls," the older man said, rolling his one eye unenthusiastically. He whipped out his blackberry in a flash.

"Wait a sec," Axel said quickly. "Hold on. So we have a promotion tomorrow and the premiere later this week, right? Both in L.A?"

The hand that was holding his phone slumped and Xigbar deadpanned. "_Yeah_, dude."

As his agent started going through his phone again, the redhead felt a rush of adrenaline, quickly racking his brain to try to remember areas around LA. Just as Xigbar lifted the phone to his ear to make a call, Axel flung himself across the width of the limo and knocked it from the man's hand.

"What the hell, Axel? When'd you get so frisky?" he joked, but gave the young star a questioning look. Axel ignored him and retrieved the phone, falling back onto the limo seat right next to Xigbar.

"Cancel the flight," he commanded, offering the phone back to the dark-haired man.

"Um, dude," Xigbar said warily. "What's with you?"

"I'm taking your advice," the redhead elaborated, jabbing the phone at his agent again. "We're going to take a vacation to Palm Springs."

There was silence, then the other man burst into laughter, snatching his phone back. "As if! You've never missed a promotion or a premiere!"

"There's a first time for everything," Axel said, completely humorless.

Xigbar froze, narrowing his one eye. "You're serious?"

Axel simply nodded, not breaking eye contact.

Again, the man chuckled, shaking his head. "Man, I shouldn't have said anything. I forgot how impressionable you young idiots are. You get an idea and you don't let go of it."

"Come on, listen, I'll skip the promotion, but I'll go to the premiere." Axel shifted sideways in the seat, resting his elbows on his knees and looking at his agent imploringly. "But I seriously need this."

"A promotion isn't like high school though, man. Can't have your guardian or whatever call you in sick and just bring in a note the next day."

"So tell them I'm dreadfully sorry that I can't be there, but GQ magazine can take a photo shoot of me shirtless or something and I'll get them free copies," the redhead offered. "I'm sure they'll understand."

"Oh yeah, you half-naked solves everything." Unconvinced, Xigbar began hitting buttons on the phone again.

"Look, you can do whatever you want, you can go off and do whatever!" Axel pleaded. "Palm Springs is only, what? One, two hours away from LA by car? We're going to miss our flight, this is the perfect opportunity. I just seriously do _not_ think I can handle a repeat of what happened today."

"Oh, come on." Xigbar smiled and only continued to mess around with the device in his hand. A moment later he glanced up and looked Axel over, taking in his ragged appearance from being molested by fans earlier and the expert puppy dog expression the redhead was sporting. It really was an occurrence that happened far too often. Somehow, the man's sneer seemed to soften. "Alright, you what?" he asked after a few moments. "You know what? _Fine_. Guess it wouldn't be so bad to go to a city nearby. I can't have you breaking down on me now or weakening from all this trauma. Some chick might finally succeed in kidnapping you and I'm not so sure if you're worth hunting down."

"Yes!" Axel cried, punching his fists up in the air in victory and just narrowly missing Xigbar's face.

"Dude, careful, you want me to lose my other eye?" the man scolded, but grinned at the redhead's reaction. "Any hotel there that you have in mind?"

Axel scratched the back on his head and slid over to the opposite end of the limo. A telltale smirk was on his face, suggesting that he most certainly did have an idea, one that might not be so popular with his agent. He opened the mini-fridge that was in the corner, taking out a small wine bottle and popping it open.

"Well, I was kind of hoping…" he began, taking out a glass and filling it halfway with deep red liquid. He paused, swirling it around to observe it lick at the edges of its container before bringing it to his lips to taste. "I want you to get me a hotel there with as few female guests as possible."

As expected, Xigbar found this hilarious. "And _how_ do you expect me to do that?"

"I'm not paying you to ask me how, Xigbar," the redhead shrugged, taking another sip of his wine and propping his feet up on the seats. "Weren't you just saying that I wouldn't be the half the star I am if not for you? You can make it happen, I know it. Find one, I don't care how."

"Should've seen this coming," the agent grumbled. "I let you do what you want and this is what happens. Looks like I'll have to make a lot more calls than I thought…"

For the rest of the ride, Axel was silent, listening to Xigbar make call after call, pulling strings. He simply finished his wine, the first taste of temporary freedom, a smirk of satisfaction upon his face.


	2. Chapter 2

**Author's Note: **Hey guys! Been a while huh? OTL. Well, I am back, I guess the reason for my absence was lack of inspiration and I was really busy working D: But now I'm actually _at_ Nijuuni's house with Atomic-Clover lmfao oh god I don't even know how to express how awesome it is and inspiring to be in their presence, last night we were all having a arts and crafts session and I managed to finish this and Special Delivery o.o I guess all I needed was their magic, seriously I can't even believe it was that easy to focus. I really wanted to finish something before Anime Expo (which all 3 of us will be at :3) soooo here we go? Thank you for all the nice feedback on this story, I hope you enjoy! Just coming out of a slump so please forgive the shortness and such...

**STAR**

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**Chapter 2**

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Xigbar did pull through. Xigbar pulled through _exceptionally_ well. When Axel arrived at his new nearly-totally-female-free resort shortly after his flight later that day, he felt like he hadn't been so genuinely excited to be somewhere in a long, long time. It was hard to impress him nowadays after all the glam and luxury thrust at him, but this place – this place was _nice_. He didn't even have a room, he had a _villa_.

"Oh man, look at this place!" he gushed upon entering it, beaming as he surveyed the area. There was a king bed that seemed to be simply dripping with red and he let himself fall onto it, bounce, then inhale the covers before dashing back up again and running over to the bathroom. "Ohhhh fuck, a marble bath?"

Xigbar was standing at the doorway, raising his eyebrows. "You act like you've never been in a fancy hotel before, Axel."

The redhead whirled around to face his agent. "Not one I'll be free to enjoy – one like _this_! Did you order me a freaking _sex_ room or something? Goddamn…"

"Nah, wasn't my doing. I think once they heard it was _you_ coming here, they automatically pinned you with the room of steamy sultry seduction. I wouldn't expect any less, of course."

"Of _course_," Axel repeated excitedly, without really hearing as he ran his hands along the stainless steel of the wet bar provided to him. The view from the room was amazing – not only was the villa very private, away from the usual guest hotel rooms, but it looked out upon the mountains that graced California's landscape. There was enough room to have a party with the combination of the living room and the patio – overall it was _perfect_.

"Says in the brochure that 'these very private one-bedroom suites feature an enclosed patio with a separate service entrance; ideal for a romantic dinner or outdoor massage.'" Xigbar announced, looking over a pamphlet in his hand as the redhead spread himself out on the patio bed, enjoying the fresh breeze that was blowing by. "Very nice, huh? Shall I order you a busty masseuse in a bikini?"

"I'd rather have a nice, toned young mass_eur_ in a banana hammock, thanks. But not right now," Axel sighed, finding himself slipping away into another daydream.

"Alright, well what are you planning on doing with yourself then?" Xigbar asked, sounding like he was getting a little impatient. "You know, I'd like to meet up with some friends and I would _love_ to get away and go surfing, if you make up your mind anytime soon."

Axel waved a hand at him, shooing him away. "Go do whatever you want." Honestly, he was extremely eager to be in charge of himself until that damn premiere coming up. Perhaps he'd be able to relax and live normally for a few days, with no cameras blinding him or screams making his ears bleed. And this hotel – it promised to have few female guests. Axel wanted to see if he could get away with touring it on his own, without the ever present escort.

"You're cool here on your own?" his agent prompted one last time.

"_Yes_, good lord, I'm _fine_, okay? I don't need a babysitter," Axel snapped, just about ready to smack the other man.

"Oh, but you know I like it when you call me 'daddy'" Xigbar snickered suggestively, then was banished from the room when Axel threw a pillow at him with practiced aim. The silence he was met with when the man left and closed the door felt like absolute bliss. They had been spending _way_ too much time together for it to be considered healthy anymore…

On that note, however, Axel quickly stood and strode over to his suitcases in order to change his outfit. True, he was tired of the company of screaming girls and of people associated with his celebrity status, but that didn't mean he wanted to be alone. The redhead was planning on making the most of this small vacation, the most of this glorious hotel. He changed himself into a rather dull summer shirt and shorts, not a very noticeable outfit. The attire was completed with a pair of sunglasses large enough to cover his trademark facial tattoos – thank God they were in style – and a hat to flatten down his hair on top while the rest was tied back. Now he looked like the typical tourist – who most people would not pay a second glance to. Perfect.

It was too early to check out the bar yet, in fact he probably wouldn't get a chance to since wearing a hat and sunglasses would not be very approachable, and if he took them off it would have the opposite effect. Such was the curse of his unmistakable looks. So Axel was out to explore the outside world in disguise, almost as if he was some kind of royal rebelliously escaping his kingdom. Such was the curse of fame.

Axel smirked to himself as he strolled right through the check-in area and out the front doors of the large hotel, virtually unnoticed by each passerby and worker. Like any other day in California, the air was fresh and warm; the sun peaking through the margins of the palm tree leaves that framed his walkway. The redhead did in fact feel lucky to be who he was at this moment at least; California was one of his favorite places to be. Hoping to find something of interest to do, he checked out the pools on his way, admiring the young men who were making use of them. It was a shame that he couldn't join them without being recognized. There were a few couples playing croquet in the courtyard, some of them looking like they wanted to turn their mallet into a true murder weapon instead of a mere instrument of sport. He witnessed a similar scene when he stopped by the golf courses, only observing for a few minutes. Axel sighed, uninterested in these guests and their little sophisticated games.

Disappointment settled in as he realized that behaving as an average guest would was not an option for him. Who was he kidding? Axel would just have to enjoy his vacation relaxing…alone. The young star snatched up a book from one of the lawn tables, no doubt neglected there by one of the guests. Not really knowing what else to do with himself, he got comfy underneath the shade of a palm tree by the volleyball courts, cracking the book open. He only read a few lines before the sound of a group playing distracted him; when glancing up he instantly decided that the volleyball courts were _much_ more entertaining than the romance fiction written by a sex-deprived housewife.

There was a team of a few people playing some distance away, shirts off, slightly damp from the sun and the activity. From what Axel could see, there was a tall, tan man accompanied by a slightly smaller man with a ponytail – both up against a busty beauty in a bikini. Why the game was two against one was curious to him, but he quickly saw that the woman was having no problem keeping up by herself.

"Point!"

"No way, that was totally inside the line!"

"It was _out_. As out as your homosexuality, Reno."

"Well in that case, it was half-in, half-out, seeing as this game is riding on you showing us your tits, Tif."

"I never agreed to that!"

"Reno, just let her have the point."

The man spoken to grumbled and sighed loudly, kicking the sand at his feet. Axel had to resist laughing at the whole scene, hoping that he could continue to discreetly watch the group. Honestly and a little shamefully, his interest was peeked at the mention of another gay man. Either way, they seemed like enough to entertain himself with until he found something better to do…or until Xigbar found him.

"Yeah, yeah, fine, your serve," the pony-tailed man said, tossing the ball to the girl. She made a perfect serve, one that the quieter man almost missed, and the set continued on. She continued to win points, making a very impressive spike that sent Reno face-first into the sand. It was pretty clear who was on the way to winning, but Reno seemed relentless and determined, even when there was only one point left before the woman would win.

"You sure you don't want to just forfeit?" she asked as she lined up her stance to execute another serve.

"I would, but I think that would just be far too embarrassing for Rude, yo," Reno explained, lifting his shoulders in a shrug. "You know how he is with his pride."

She smiled attractively, holding the ball up. "Just though I'd offer," she said, and then the ball was in the air, flying right past Reno's outstretched fingers and bouncing off of the boundaries of the court.

"Yes!" she exclaimed, throwing her arms in the air in victory.

"That was _out_! Are you blind? Our point, yo!"

The ball landed outside of the sand pit and plopped right in front of Axel – at arm's reach, as if just beckoning him for the opportunity to introduce himself. All eyes followed the ball, then landed on him – the obvious spectator. Axel froze like a helpless rabbit, unsure of what to do and just hoped that he would be overlooked. But, just his luck, Reno was the one who ran over.

"Yo!" he called, slowing down his pace as he got closer and waving as a request for the ball.

Mind going blank on exactly what to say, not quite ready to introduce himself in an environment with no agent, no protection, Axel cautiously picked up the ball and stood. Reno pushed his sunglasses up into his hair, now giving Axel a nice first look at his face and he was _smiling _and it took all of Axel's strength to not stare as he took in just how attractive the other man was.

"Thanks," Reno said, nodding his head. His eyes traveled Axel's body slowly, seeming to give a hint of some type of recognition – but made no verbal acknowledgment. "Were you by any chance watching that game?"

"Ah, yeah," Axel said, passing the ball over, not even getting the chance to say anything more before Reno spoke again.

"Oh, good. So you saw that that was _tooootally_ out, right?" His tone was playfully hopeful as he tucked the volleyball into his side.

"Reno!" the woman scolded from afar.

"Heh, sorry, I'm Reno, like she said." The other redhead offered his hand. The man was devilishly handsome, complete with a confident swagger – definitely a type that Axel had never had before, a type that intimidated him. "You look like a man who would enjoy a little of what California has to offer, am I right?" Before Axel could ask if he was offering himself, he jerked his head in the direction of the woman and lowered his voice. "We win, her top comes off, and my buddy Rude there might actually show evidence of being a normal human being. Think you can help us out?"

Axel grinned, giving Reno the most firm handshake he could muster and gazed beyond him to survey the scene. There was no point in mentioning that in his line of business, he'd seen enough topless women to last him a lifetime. "I don't think you'd even have much of a chance if I did. She has a natural gift."

Maybe it was his smile, or his voice, but Axel had clearly done something that made himself obvious. Reno withdrew his hand rather quickly, the realization apparent on his face. It wasn't a look of shock or a look of disgust – the man's eyes lit up like someone had flipped a switch, causing the gears in the man's brain to stretch his smile wider. Axel knew what was coming – the "hey, aren't you-?" or the "oh my god, I'm such a big fan!" He chewed at his lip and looked up to the sky, prepared to just take it and move on, wishing he had left while he had the chance.

Instead, Reno glanced over to his friends, spun the volleyball in his hands and said, "Hey I know. If you're any good at volleyball, why don't you join our game? You don't seem too busy."

Axel's eyebrows rose, not expecting such a casual invitation. "Oh, um, three against one?" Axel asked skeptically, attempting to tap into his acting skills and play it cool. "I hardly think that's fair."

"Maybe in any other situation," Reno agreed, then continued on as if it was almost painful to say it, "But if you were watching any of that…" He paused, shook his head as if a great misfortune had befallen them. "You know that none of us will be seeing her _truly_ natural gift."

Axel snorted despite himself, at both Reno's sense of humor and the oddity of the fact that Reno had yet to realize who he was. The woman called out to them again, wondering what the hold up was.

"Hang on, Tifa, I got us an unbiased opinion here!" Reno gestured to Axel proudly, who instantly pulled his hat down further in an attempt to remain unrecognized. The two began to head toward the volleyball net; Rude nodded his head in acknowledgement and Tifa challenged, "So? What's the verdict then?"

Scratching the back of his head, Axel shrugged and said, "Oh, I uh, I think you should just re-do the serve."

"Aww, come on, man. You're supposed to be on _our_ side."

The woman named Tifa crossed her arms, but smiled at Axel in a way that suggested she was thankful that he wasn't joining in on Reno's ranks. "So who's the unbiased opinion by the way?"

Ah, this was it. Time to reveal his true identity. If this guy didn't know who he was, once this woman heard his voice and name, she would see straight through his disguise and the freak-out would begin. There was no doubt about it, so Axel figured that he might as well introduce himself with the style and glamour that he was so well-known for.

Axel pinched the brim of his hat, removing it in a smooth movement. He cast his eyes to the ground in a playfully coy manner, the corners of his lips curving up into a smile. "The name's Axel," he said, flashing his eyes back to them as he ran his fingers through his hair to restore the volume; a classically sexy movie star entrance that was sure to impress.

No one said a word for several seconds and Axel was certain he had left them awestruck as they realized they were in the presence of an A-list celebrity. But suddenly they broke into friendly smiles and there was no reaction other than a more proper introduction of Tifa and Rude.

"Alright, so, you wanna referee this then or what?" Reno asked with an amused spark to his eyes, probably wondering what Axel's little show was all about. Axel had to try his best to keep the act up and not let himself gape at their apparent ignorance. What exactly just happened? Was his disguise was really _that_ good or these people have just been living under a rock for the past two years? It felt so strange to be…unknown. Almost insulting, and yet at the same time almost…refreshing.

Feeling thrown off, Axel merely nodded, not knowing how to behave anymore. "Uh…sure thing." God, had he forgotten how to talk to people who saw him as a stranger after a mere few years of fame?

On the other hand, it was kind of sad how Reno thought that they stood a chance as the three resumed their game. Tifa served again, Rude made a nice save but it wasn't enough. The next volley Reno missed, and it was all clearly all over, no need for Axel to call it.

"Rude, buddy, I'm sorry I let you down!" Reno wailed exaggeratedly, falling to his knees in the sand. "I know you've never seen a naked woman before, this was your one chance, and I _failed_ you!"

Rude merely peered down at the redhead who seemed so small by comparison. He shook his head in embarrassment for the other man. "Good game, Tifa."

"Yeah, but this one you won't be so lucky!" Reno shouted, jumping to his feet and pointing a threatening finger. "You may be used to two guys at the same time, but try _three_! Let's see if you can handle that, yo!"

Axel wished that he could be comfortably amused by Reno's constant sexual jokes, but his nerves were going haywire. After becoming so used to the celebrity lifestyle, it was like he no longer remembered how to behave in a normal social situation, no longer knew how to talk to people who didn't already know of him. Not to mention as he sat there, inconspicuously studying Reno through his reflective sunglasses, he felt such a strong desire to seduce the man and for the first time in a long time, it seemed he wouldn't have his movie star status aiding him with the catch.

"So, how about it then?" Reno prompted once more. "Wanna join us?"

Having made up his mind, Axel stood and brushed off some sand from the back of his pants. To hell with it. How many chances like this would he get? If they ended up recognizing him, at least he would be able to impress Reno and increase his chances of getting into his pants, even if just for one night. _You're a tourist_, he told himself, getting himself into the mindset of the part he was about to play. _You're on vacation, here to have a good time and meet people. Right._

"If your friends wouldn't mind," he said politely.

"Are you kidding me? I need a challenge, I hope you're up for it." Tifa ran her hands through her hair, eyeing Axel flirtatiously.

"Alright then," Reno said, clapping his hands together. Axel stripped himself of the unnecessarily ugly Hawaiian shirt he had been sporting, and finally feeling more comfortable in his own skin. If they didn't realize who he was now, then they truly had no idea.

Axel stepped up alongside Reno, flashing him a red carpet smile, gaining confidence and testing his luck. Now that he had shed his ugly tourist masquerade, it seemed that Reno saw him as a little bit more than a stranger. His playful smile faded away when he looked at Axel again, when he blinked his eye-line fell directly to the young star's fit chest. It was like he was seeing Axel in a new light – the way the redhead was _supposed_ to be seen. Axel felt self-assurance hit him like a wave, like it had only ebbed away shortly before rushing back in again. He was in the spotlight in Reno's gaze. It was like he was a new man, being seen for the first time, a fresh, new hit. The feeling was so empowering, though almost as soon as it had illuminated the redhead, the spotlight was abruptly shut off and he was left in the dark again as Reno looked away.

It was the equivalent to a slap to the face to Axel, he wasn't used to being brushed off so quickly. Once attention was on him, it was _on_ him until it left the room. But Reno's attention returned to Tifa, returned to the competition awaiting them, making some smart remark as if Axel wasn't there at all. Axel just couldn't understand why this man was so back and forth, all the playful eyes and yet the shows of disinterest as well, it just drew the redhead to the other all the more.

Desperate to return Reno's interest back to him, Axel cleared his throat and questioned loudly, "So what brings you three on vacation here? How do you know each other?"

"Oh, it's not a vacation," Tifa answered, completely unaware that Axel had meant the inquiry for Reno only. "We're here on ShinRa business."

ShinRa? Now this Axel was impressed by. ShinRa Electrical Company, a major corporation, one also known to meddle in business that was none of their concern. They were a sketchy company, often featured in the media.

"Yeah, boss figured he'd get us a nice hotel for our hard work." Reno smirked, stretching his toned arms for the upcoming game. "Though not all of us are here with strictly business on our minds…"

"Oh yes, I stand corrected. Reno's here to let us do all the work while _he_ has a vacation."

While Reno attempted to defend himself against Tifa's continuous comments about his laziness, Axel drifted off into hopeful fantasies again, wondering exactly what Reno had been implying.

Rude apparently was the only one with his priorities straight as he finally got sick of all the blabbering and interrupted with his deep voice, reminding them that they were all about to play a new game of volleyball.

"Right, well Axel, want to do us the honors of the first serve?" Reno asked, holding out the volleyball to the young star.

The redhead hesitated, wondering for the last time if he should really be taking part in this. His libido and desire to be treated as a normal person for once quickly won him over and he graciously took the ball. He stepped back and dug his feet into the sand as he took position, swearing to himself that he would triumphantly claim Reno's full attention and that this game was only the beginning.


End file.
